“Reunion” was much to the fore as the Associates of the Daughters of Jesus met together with the Sisters who accompany them at the motherhouse, Kermaria, on the 15^th of April  for their annual meeting. The chosen theme for this year was “Word of God, way of life”.

Welcome

The meeting began with a time of welcome, marked by the joy and pleasure of meeting again. Coffee in one hand, a biscuit in the other, we shared our news with one another.  17 groups were represented, coming from Brittany, Arcueil and Villiers sur Marne from the Paris region, and Limoges and Vaylats from the region of Limoges.

At 9.30 am precisely, Sister Anne Thirion, Provincial of France, introduced the day :

“May Saint Joseph, a man of silence, who in the Gospel said nothing,

teach us to abstain from words that are in vain.

May he help us to rediscover the value of the right words,

that edify, encourage, console and support.”

Prayer time

The time was led by the Guidel group who had chosen the appearance of the risen Jesus to Mary Magdalene in the Gospel of St Mark (16, 9-15).

Intervention by Father Sébastien Guiziou

Father Sébastien Guiziou, Vicar General of the diocese of Quimper, was our guide throughout the day. Taking the theme of “Word of God, Way(s) of Life”, he helped us  to discover :

• the path of the Exegete,

• the path of Theology,

• the path of Spirituality,

• the patristic path of the Fathers of the Church.

His enriching talk invited us to “put the Word at the centre of our lives and to take care of our neighbour“. After subsequently sharing our reflections and questions in small groups, Father Guiziou shed light on these same questions in assembly.

The morning ended with a convivial lunch, a moment which allowed us to continue our exchanges and to get to know each other better.

The afternoon session

In the afternoon, we were invited to choose a theme and form ourselves into groups of ten, to share around “ The Word ” :

• The Word and image

• The Word and prayer

• The Word and fraternity

• The Word and song

• The Word and liturgy

• The Word and current affairs

Each group was invited to write a reflection on their theme on a panel which was then read and placed before the altar at the beginning of the Eucharistic celebration that followed.

Among the expressions retained by the groups were :

The Word of God is:

• a demanding call to live as brothers and sisters in the manner of Jesus.

• to be welcomed and shared in order to live in communion.

• a manifestation of a God who meets us in our differences and our current realities, who

  nourishes us to go towards.

• a song that resonates in our hearts and that we keep in mind.

• a message offered to humanity.

• a gift of the Holy Spirit to be deepened and shared, which nourishes us, transforms, and    sends us towards others.

• a Word that invites us to live fraternally as Jesus did – listening, respecting, sharing,

  forgiving.

The Eucharistic celebration

The day ended with a Eucharist celebrated by Father Sébastien, accompanied by Michel Boscher, Deacon, and with the participation of the Sisters of Kermaria.

The day ended with a Eucharist celebrated by Father Sébastien, accompanied by Michel Boscher, Deacon, and with the participation of the Sisters of Kermaria.

At the end of the Eucharist, Sr Anne Thirion sent us out with these words :

 “In today’s Gospel, the disciples say, “We have seen the Lord”. It is the same for us.

At the end of this day, it is my desire for each one of you, that:

• you should see the Lord with the eyes of the heart and recognise the Risen One at work on the winding paths of your daily lives.
• You should dare to announce to the world the faith and joy that animate us.

Never stop recognising Him, loving Him, and proclaiming Him.”

As a souvenir of the day, each Associate was given a bookmark with the theme of the day on one side and a Gospel phrase on the back.

As always at Kermaria, we came together again before leaving for a drink before leaving – an opportunity to take out our diaries to note down dates so that we can continue our adventure with the Associates.

The group of Associates of the Daughters of Jesus,

Villiers sur Marne, France